Chicken Stir Fry

I made the most amazing Chicken Stir Fry last night! Its definitely going on the menu! I'm not sure where I got the recipe from so I will just have to write it out.

I fed 2 adults and 2 kids with it and we had only a little leftover. I used a normal 10" skillet but eventually I would like to get a Wok! I steamed the rice using a rice cooker. I got mine for $15 at Target. It also steams vegetables!

Ingredients:
1 lb. Chicken breast strips
2 tbsp Olive oil
4 cups of Veggies (I used Zucchini, Green/Red Pepper, Carrot, and a Yellow Onion)
1 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
3 tbsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 1/2 cup rice


1. Stir fry chicken (salt and pepper to taste) in hot oil in a large skillet until brown

2. Remove Chicken and Add Vegetables

3. Mix together broth, cornstarch, soy, and sugar.
4. Once veggies are crisp, add the chicken and broth mixture and boil for 2 minutes.

5. Serve over hot rice. (I started cooking the rice when I started the chicken)

It was done in 20-30 minutes and was sooo tasty! Even my kids gobbled it down!

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

So for Jackson's birthday, I had originally wanted to make robot cupcakes but I didn't plan ahead and realized robot cupcakes would take time and supplies, which I didn't have. So I settled on Cookie Monster. If I had planned for those I would have bought/made mini cookies to go in the mouth but again, I procrastinated!

The quality of these pictures aren't going to be a good since my camera charger has gone missing and I had to use my iPhone. But they were too cute not to post!

For these cupcakes, I used chocolate cake from a box. Normally, I love working from scratch but as I said before I procrastinated. I also used Icing from a jar because I can't seem to get icing right when I try to make it from scratch. But I did color the icing using Wilton's Icing colors Royal Blue for the monster hair and Black for the lining. I didn't have to color the white.

After the cupcakes were baked and cooled, and the icing is mixed and ready, Its time to decorate! I have a Wilton Cake Decorating set, I got it for a steal at Michaels with a 50% off coupon in there store ad. It has everything I need!

For the hair on the monster, I used Tip #18. I had to make a lot of them and it was tedious so I started by making a criss cross over the cupcake.

Then I filled each triangle in until the top was filled in.

I used Tip #12 for the white icing.

I used Tip #5 for the black icing.

I loved making these, I will also enjoy watching a class of 4 year olds devour them! I think I'm going to enjoy preschool.

Pajama Pants

So I finally completed (a while ago... I'm just late updating) Jackson's Lounge Pants. HE LOVES THEM!! And the material is really soft, so that's exciting! I made the pattern using the Make your own Pattern tutorial. The pattern I made needs a little tweaking around the leg area and I definitely made them a size or so too big. Its great for PJs but when I'm ready to make actual pants I will need a little more precision. But its only fun if you can keep learning and changing and growing, right?

And a little update on my Pillowcase dresses, I designed a new one! Its by far my favorite of them all! It's ladybug themed and two toned. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be to make either! My best friend's daughter received it as a belated birthday present... very belated... I'm a bad friend! Next I want to do a bumblebee if I can find the right fabric.

I have completed #1 of 4 tab top curtains for the boys room... pictures to follow once completed. They aren't nearly as cute as I had wanted and I'm debating taking it back apart and adding blackout lining. I had originally bought some but the fabric store ran out of stock right after I order... So I settled for regular lining hoping it would be fine. Not so much, debating on my next move before I make the other 3. I was originally dreading doing the curtains because I didn't think my machine could handle the thick fabric (because normally it can't). So I did some research and realized I just needed a bigger needle! Easy fix! My machine went through those curtains like it was nothing! That made my outlook on this project very optimistic!

Am I ready for Kindergarten??

"Am I ready for my baby to go to kindergarten?" I keep asking myself this as I am preparing to send Jackson to school next week. And technically hes not going into kindergarten but Pre-K but still its an all day program!

(Jackson at 1 month)

I vaguely remember kindergarten. I remember Dr Seuss and the play corner. I can see a few faces. I remember liking it. But I'm nervous because now its my child! Is Jackson ready for this? I can't answer that but I think we need to at least see. Well ready or not, Wednesday is the big day! The day after his birthday!

(Jackson at 1 year old)

Jackson was in daycare for a total of 6 months when he was 2 but other than that he has been home with me. Now its seems time to send him out in the world under someone else's protection and hope that everything I have been working on with him (manners and good behavior, mostly) that he has at least retained some of it. And a part of me is not worried because I trust my baby, he is such a wonderful little kid. I think most of this is just nerves.

(Jackson at 2 years old)

I'm still going to be home, which is 5 minutes from the school and I will have some more time to play with Andrew and sew and bake yummy goodies for his class. Oh yes, I plan to be that mommy! I think that's what I am most excited about, is having someone to bake goodies for.

(Jackson at 3 years old)

And Jackson will be learning and active and social, which is what he desperately wants and needs. It will also give Andrew and I more bonding time, which is something he and I don't get often.

(Jackson at present)

I think this will be good... I'm just being overly sensitive, maybe because its my first. Who knows! Well ready or not, Bags are packed with school time goodies and we are ready to go! AHHHHH! :D

Tasty Hashbrowns

Saturday morning I woke up craving hash browns in the worst way. Lucky for me I had tons of potatoes in my kitchen! So I went on the hunt for a recipe and found this one for Crispy Hash Browns. I just posted my pictures below but click the recipe link for more details.

Peeled and grated.

Frying.

Flipped but still frying.

Finished! :)

We added some eggs, bacon and peaches. Best breakfast ever!

Ba Ba the Bear in a bunny suit

Every child I have met has a lovey of some sort, whether it be the pacifier, a giraffe, a blanket, or in my case a bear in a bunny suit

.

This bear has a history dating back 4 years! At my baby shower for Jackson, I was given a bear. It was a TY pluffies bear in a blue bunny suit. I put it in Jackson's crib and he never once touched it or even messed with it. It sat in the corner of the bed until he moved into a big boy bed. I packed it in a box in the attic until Andrew came along. Again I placed that bear in the corner of the bed, expecting Andrew to take a paci like Jackson did and never even touch the bear. What I didn't realize when I had my second child was that no two children are alike. Andrew spit out the paci and grabbed the bear in the corner. It has been a love affair ever since.

Andrew affectionately named him "Ba Ba" and we just kind of ran with it. Well as soon as I realized that Andrew was in love with Ba Ba, I immediately went on the hunt for a replacement. I soon found out that he was officially a retired TY doll, which means he can cost anywhere from $40-60. I did find one for $30 on amazon one time and bought it immediately, only to find when the bear arrived it was the same but different. It was not the same material, it was softer and it didn't have bunny ears which is Andrew's favorite feature. I tried giving it to him and at first he got excited until he realized it wasn't his friend at all and then proceeded to throw it at me. I complained and got a refund but they let me keep that bear. So now I have a Ba Ba imposter that Andrew on occasion still gets confused by.

Yesterday, we had an emergency! Just a mini one, no major damage but I needed Andrew to let go of the bear and he didn't want to. I jerked a little and Andrew put the death grip on the ears and all I heard was Riiiiip. SCARIEST SOUND EVER, especially when it comes from your child's favorite toy. So Ba Ba went to the "hospital" this morning, Andrew cried the whole time. I don't know if he was more upset about the ear or about the fact that mommy wouldn't let him have him, either way, very aggravating. But he was repaired and you can't even tell there was a problem.

I know that people say kids shouldn't hold onto there loveys for too long, but I just don't have the heart to take away his best friend. So I will continue to watch Ba Ba like a hawk, bathe him weekly, and patch him up whenever necessary, because there is nothing in this world that makes my baby smile like his Ba Ba!